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I can’t believe that this day only a year ago I was in a big white dress and walking down the aisle! It’s so amazing how time really flies – I still remember that day so well!

This year has been fabulous – we’ve loved being married!  We didn’t live together before our wedding day, so being married has made our relationship stronger (since we’re around each other all the time and don’t need to say “goodbye” at the end of the night), and it’s also been great getting to carpool all the time :-) .

For our first anniversary, I decided that we should go the traditional route and give each other gifts made from paper.  We capped the limit at $5 initially, but then hubby decided that he couldn’t find anything for $5, so the limit was upped to $10.  I had great ideas – I thought about getting a wedding photo blown up, or writing a nice letter, or making a nice card and writing in it.  But then I got lazy and was feeling un-crafty (though I did suggest to my husband that he show his love for me by making 1,000 paper cranes… he didn’t buy it though :-P ).

Other “paper” anniversary gifts ideas included magazine subscriptions (no, my husband did not need another subscription to Car and Driver), movie/theater tickets (limited options with $10), a $10 bill (kind of lame), a $10 gift card (also somewhat lame, and rarely made from paper these days), or a book (such as a marriage book we could read together, since my husband doesn’t read).

So, what creative, unique, romantic anniversary gift have I got for my husband?

The Dilbert 2010 desk calendar!  What can I say – my man is an engineer :-) .

Most of our readers are probably *not* married yet, but for those that are, what are (or did) you do for your first anniversary?

by auschick | posted in Miscellaneous, Relationships | 5 Comments »

Back to nature placecards

November 29th, 2009

photo from enrim iconz

photo from enrim iconz

When I was planning our wedding, I’ve been seeing so many images of using fruit as placecard holders. I absolutely loved the idea.  However, we ended up using something that was more suited with our table names. I wanted to share with you all some images that really inspired me. You can do so much with fruit as a design element in a wedding.

photo from country living

photo from country living

It’s very easy to do-it-yourself without spending a lot of money.

photo from kelley photo & design

photo from kelley photo & design

Use seasonal fruits or vegetables to reflect the time of the year.

By saipua

By saipua

However, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle as a bride or groom. Many florists offer the service. This is my favorite amongst the bunch {from Saipua}.

by Mel | posted in Design Ideas, Reception | 1 Comment »

Check Out Rasmus Auction for Wedding Gowns. Source: Rasmus

Check Out Rasmus' Auction for Wedding Gowns. Source: Rasmus

Rasmus is an online auctioneer that auctions assets from closing businesses. Scott shared this site with other friends who started their own business or to folks who were looking for furniture. Well, a Northern Virginia bridal company is going out of business and they are conducting an online auction for: Wedding Gowns, Evening, Cocktail and Children’s Gowns. They don’t say what company it is but it’s definitely worth an online visit! There’s a preview on Dec 3 but the actual auction starts Dec 4 @11AM. Check it out! I definitely will. :O)

BTW – Happy Black Friday! If anyone has any successful bridal purchases, I would like to hear!

by Christine | posted in Budget, Events | No Comments »

Going Green with Garters

November 25th, 2009

For me, the wedding garter toss tradition is always a little too cheesy and maybe even becoming out dated. The groom digging through the layers of the bride’s dress to finally find the garter and then proceeding to do a terrible imitation of a Chippendale routine before flinging it into a crowd of overzealous groomsmen and single male guests at times seems awkward and forced. However, if the bride was wearing one of these garters I think my opinion of the garter toss could easily be swayed.

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

These garters are from www.juliannesmith.com and are the cutest ones I’ve ever seen. Normally, I feel like garters are often way too gaudy but these aren’t at all. They’re simple yet personal.  Julianne is based out of Washington, D.C. and all of the garters are handmade. They are environmentally friendly and made from recycled plastic bottles. If you’re planning on going  green with your wedding, then these are perfect! One of my bride-to-be friends is planning on ordering her wedding garter from here. She’s very conscious about the environment so these eco-friendly garters are ideal. She’s getting it customized with her wedding colors and embroidered with her wedding date.  It’s going to be just adorable!

 

Are you planning to wear a garter and do the garter toss at your wedding?

by Caitlin | posted in Accessories, Green Wedding | 3 Comments »

What a Journey!

November 24th, 2009

Our honeymoon is booked!

After a long (seemingly) process, we’re very happy to say that we’ve made our dream trip a reality (at least in terms of paper tickets). It was a long process because it took a lot of maneuvering to make the financials work.We used a lot of Starwood points and airline miles, as well as negotiating with the travel agent, and we were all ready to book the trip last week. However, after starting the booking process, I realized that if I used my miles in a slightly different way, we could save more than $1k off the total cost. So, I had to wait a few extra days for points to transfer, miles to post, etc., but today, I’m freaking ecstatic to say we’re 99% booked.

We’re going to Tokyo and then Bora Bora. That’s right – Tokyo and Bora Bora.

Our first destination is Tokyo. We leave the day after our wedding, and fly direct from Newark to Narita.

tokyo

We’ve both been to Tokyo once before, separately, (me more so than she), but we really love the city, and want to go back. We’ll spend five nights in Tokyo, and then on March 27th, we leave for Papeete in Tahiti. Right after we land, we jump on another plane to go to Bora Bora. We’ll spend five nights there. We plan on chilling out most of the time there, but we already have one excursion planned – sharkfeeding and snorkeling. Neither of us swim, so please pray that neither of us drown. ;)

bora bora

After Bora Bora, we’re in Tahiti for one night, and then it’s back to Tokyo for one more night.From Tokyo, we fly back to Newark, again non-stop. We’ll be tired, to be sure, but man, we’re so psyched!

P.S. We’re 99% booked because we still haven’t figured out where we’re going to stay in our final night in Tokyo. We’re thinking of spending a bit of money to stay a nicer-than-what-we’d-normally-pay-for-type place, it being our last night and all. Any suggestions?

by David | posted in Honeymoon | 1 Comment »

Color-matching your wedding

November 23rd, 2009

When you’re planning your wedding, it’s helpful to have some of your wedding color samples with you at all times – who knows if that trip to Target to grab some random non-wedding item will result in a super cool find for your wedding, hmm?

A while ago I stumbled across this “color-scheme saving” idea from Createcass on Curbly.  I think it’s a *fabulous* way to keep track of the colors you’re using for your wedding, and it’s so easy to just slip it into your wallet so that it’s with you wherever you go.

Here’s a summary of the steps – for more directions, check out the Curbly site.

First, head to your local hardware or paint store and load yourself up with color swatches that match your wedding colors.

Next, cut out the colors from the swatches, and put a hole punch in the corner, tying them together with string or ribbon.  Write the names of what each color represents on each leaf.

…and you’re done!

If you’re feeling fancy, you could also punch the color samples with a big decorative punch.

I’d recommend making one of these for yourself, and also one for each of your bridesmaids, and anyone else helping with the decorating in your wedding (e.g, your mom).  Createcass also suggests making some for your florist and wedding coordinator.

Paint chips can also help with picking the color scheme of your wedding, though there are always more shades of paint available than fabrics, so try not to get too hung up on that exact shade of aqua, just in case it’s not available in a dress!

by auschick | posted in Design Ideas, General Planning, Wedding Themes | No Comments »

cupcake anyone?

November 22nd, 2009

Cupcakes have become more and more popular as a wedding cake option. I really love beautiful and innovative designs of cupcake stands I’ve seen lately.  One of my absolute favorites from the New York Metropolitan area is Pink Cake Box. Here are some of my favorite ones:

made by Pink Cake Box

made by Pink Cake Box

The beautiful top tier cake allows for the newly weds to observe the tradition of saving the top tier, freezing it, and then eating it at their one year anniversary.

made by pink cake box

made by pink cake box

This one is a bit more simple, but oh so elegant. Also the great thing is that the bride won’t have to choose one or two flavors, she can have it all with a cupcake cake!

made by pink cake box

With a cupcake cake, it is usually a more affordable option than a whole multi-tiered wedding cake.  As a budget saving alternative, ask a friend or relative to make and decorate the cupcakes as a wedding gift.  With these little delights so popular lately, you’ll be surprised how many people you know are pros at it.  There are endless color schemes possibilities and floral decorations. I love the  florals and butterfly on the top tier of this cake.

big-cake1037

Isn’t this just the sweetest cake? He he. The topper is just adorable and I love the sprinkle of roses amongst the tiers.

Did you have or are you thinking about a cupcake cake for your wedding? Tell me about your ideas!

by Mel | posted in Cake, Design Ideas | 3 Comments »

Congrats to Our Newlywed Friends!

November 21st, 2009

Last weekend, Scott and I split up on Saturday so that we could be at two weddings in one night. I was a little sad that we wouldn’t be enjoying a wedding together but we both didn’t want to miss either of the weddings. Both weddings were awesome and lots of fun. I went to Barbara and Ralph’s at the Key Bridge Marriot:

Congrats to Barbara and Ralph!Congrats to Barbara and Ralph!  Source: Tara

and Scott went to Lawndowne to celebrate with Sarah and Neal:

Congrats Sarah and Neil! Source: Visual Sketch

Congrats Sarah and Neal! Source: Andy L.

by Christine | posted in Wedding Watching | No Comments »

Click to view YouTube video. Photo Source: IMDB

From the movie, License to Wed. Click to view YouTube video. Photo Source: IMDB

Premarital counseling is something that I wish every officiant would make mandatory. Since Scott and I dated for more than 5 years before getting married, you would think we would have known everything about each other.  But at the premarital counseling with Pastor Anson, I learned so much! Anson walked us through Before You Say “I Do” by H. Norman Wright & Wes Roberts.

In the book, the authors asked us to fill out a survey separately. One of the questions simply asked, “Will you drive your kids to school or will they ride the bus?” My response was that they would ride the bus, however, Scott said he would drive the kids to school. It’s funny to talk about your hypothetical kids because you never know what it’s going to be like when the time comes around. I asked him, “why would you drive your kids to school when that’s what the bus is for?” He said that driving your kids to school shows that you love them. Of course my next questions was, “so do you think my parents didn’t love me?” It was an easy way to pick a fight but it was more humorous from my end of the conversation. :O)

Different experiences form our opinions so it was interesting to see the perspective he was coming from. I think the three biggest topics that engaged couples often don’t talk about openly, but comes up during premarital counseling: Finances, Children, and Faith. Talking about certain topics helps manage expectations so you don’t get surprised later.

Some resources from pastor and friend, Woojin:

If you’re already married, you could still try one of the books mentioned above, or look into Family Life who hosts a conference called a Weekend to Remember throughout the country, which I hear good things about. I haven’t been to one but plan to in the future.

by Christine | posted in Relationships | 1 Comment »

Fake Cakes

November 18th, 2009
Source: www.ultimatefakecakes.com

Source: www.ultimatefakecakes.com

I was browsing this week through the website www.lemondrop.com and came across an article about a couple who ended up getting a fake wedding cake for their reception. Although they were expecting a real cake and were not too happy about getting one made out of foam, it got me thinking about the practicality of having an artificial cake.  I know you’d miss out on smashing cake into the groom’s face, but I think having a fake cake is actually a great cost-cutting idea and would be great for outdoor weddings. Personally, I’m not a big fan of cake (gasp!), so having an elaborate multi-tiered cake would be on the lower end of my wedding must-haves. If a wedding cake is not on the top of your priority list, having a fake one could be an alternative to consider.

Source: www.ultimatefakecakes.com

Source: www.ultimatefakecakes.com

 Having an artificial cake at your wedding however, doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be any cake at all. One option with having a fake cake is using sheet cakes at the reception for serving your guests. According to the Bridal Association of America, a sheet cake will run around $1.50 a slice where as a mid-tier cake could run up to $6 a slice.

If you still want to be able to slice into your cake at your wedding reception, another cost-cutting alternative is having one layer of real cake and the others made of foam.  This layer along with sheet cakes could be served to your guests.  I know a lot of brides who have done this and it worked out really well.

Another possible option is renting a cake. Yes, you can actually rent a wedding cake! The cakes look like the real thing and can be rented for the fraction of the cost for a real cake. Although the websites I looked at had a lot to choose from, you are limited in the styles, colors, and personalization of the rental cakes. An artificial cake isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great option to save some money and not have to worry about the cake holding up on the big day!
Are you thinking of using an artificial or partially artificial cake at your wedding?
 

by Caitlin | posted in Budget, Cake | 2 Comments »

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